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So the UIAA sets a major fall (fall after which to retire your gear) to be a fall factor of 1.77. Now I was wondering what would count as a major load (load after which to retire your gear) ? 50 k...
My story I like to hike and pack light. Lately I have been experimenting with various setups for making a 2-3 day trek along the Appalachian Trail. I have tried a few different methods of carrying...
I'm going on a one day hike, and I want to cook an egg whilst on it. I'd like to avoid carrying excess water, and the route goes past a couple of waterfalls and several streams, so there is no prob...
On the spur of the moment I bought a flint and steel. This was mainly because it seems manly and cool. My main problem is I really struggle to light a fire with the thing and normally give up and u...
Sometimes I read articles about climbers having freed a route. For example: "Lynn Hill freed the Nose". What does this exactly mean in terms of how they climbed it? Specifically: Are they not al...
How to cross a Crevasse when its absolutely unavoidable? What gear/equipment is/are required? What are the things that one should look for when choosing where to cross? Is it the hard ice from whe...
In climbing what do the terms Redpoint, Pinkpoint, Flash and Onsight mean? Where does it come from?
There has been handful discussions about How to fix a bolt on a climbing route. But there seldom any point made about How the one should go about when removing/replacing the bolts. When to decide...
I am looking at the things that I should have with me when I am climbing higher altitudes. I came across this meds one should always have along: Dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is used in the treat...
I'm taking a handful (5) work colleagues up a mountain this weekend (Tryfan in Snowdonia). The mountain is a Grade 1 scramble route so it's not overly simple. The group is very inexperienced. I...
I've heard this is possible but I'm not sure on the details. Can someone elaborate?
What if it's night and you want to find north? How do you locate the North Star in the night sky?
I have seen a few documentaries where the high altitude mountaineers constantly keep the hand-gloves ON. Is it really because handling the metallic equipment with bare hands can cause a Frostbite? ...
If I'm abseiling with a double rope what's the common way to add a safety knot? Is it a prusik knot around the 2 ropes instead of 1 or something like 2 prusiks?
Recently, I've started drinking more and more tap water instead of buying bottles all the time (which is usually absolutely no issue in Germany). I like to use a bottle for that not fill a glass a...
When doing a multi-pitch and you reach a belay station (the top of a pitch) you can choose between belaying the lead climber from the body (like you do e.g. indoors where you aren't doing multi-pit...
Overhangs are a weak point in rock climbing for me currently. I think I know the theory: the goal is to use the legs to push yourself up, keep straight arms as much as possible and avoid pulling, a...
I just bumped into this page at the Bicycles at StackExchange, which talks about how shaving limbs can help a cyclist. Does the same apply to climbers?
Having read this question on drop bears. I have been wondering what other fictitious animals are there in other parts of the world that have been invented to amuse/confuse tourists. Has anyone co...
My compass has become increasingly untrustworthy. Over the past couple years I had noticed that it often pointed pretty close to magnetic South, but it corrected after a light tap. In two recent t...
I can lash a mini tripod ($2 on eBay) to the top of a quad-sected tent pole with 4 equal sections with internal elastic to make a tripod. This gets me about 2' off the ground. I can lash a mini t...
How to make ice axe protectors yourself? I have few ideas from using duck tape to 3D printing, but it would be nice to hear about methods proven to work. The reason I want to add protectors is a ...
I was trying to make a sling the other day to entertain my kids (yes this is a terrible idea) and although the finished product worked (sort of) it occurred to me that this, like all ancient handi-...
I went kayaking for the first time this weekend, and it was a blast! Unfortunately, I also ended up with some abraded skin on my hands, where the paddle shaft had chaffed the skin. I've done other ...
I saw an ad today for a pressurized hydration pack. My first thought was "why?". I can't imagine a scenario where this would not lead to (a) more weight, or (b) greater risk of failure... neither...
